Thinner Watches for Leaner Times

Elegance and understatement provide
an antidote to chunky boom-time bling

By

Jemima Sissons

Updated March 19, 2010 12:01 a.m. ET

The boom years preceding the latest recession were pervaded by the belief that, with regards to status symbols at least, bigger was better. From blacked-out SUVs, to top-of-the-range yachts via supersized watches—the best things were thought to come in large packages with hefty price tags to match.

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But, in keeping with more austere times, one of the main trends to emerge from January's Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva was slimmer watches. Piaget, Vacheron Constantin, Girard-Perregaux and IWC were all at it. Ralph Lauren showcased a chic diet model, and Jaeger-LeCoultre's version was sleek and streamlined. At this year's Baselworld fair, Zenith is launching a slim model and others brands have their own versions waiting in the wings.

"Bling times are over," says Jean-Frederic Dufour, chief executive of Zenith, which is launching its 40mm-diameter Elite 681 Ultra Thin. "We face a difficult era. Everyone is looking for value-oriented designs and they don't want to overpay. It is also a question of not looking too obvious."

Ralph Lauren Watches brought out its 38mm Slim Classique model this year, complete with 2.1mm Piaget-made movement. Guy Chatilllon, chief executive of the company, says: "We observe that during recessions people return to 'true values' and there is a demand for high-quality goods of lasting value."

James Gurney, founder and editor of U.K. watch magazine QP, says: "There is definitely a nod towards being slightly less over the top. Over the last 10 years watches—such as some of those by Breitling or Panerai—got unfeasibly large."

For some watch manufacturers, however, it is not so much a new trend, as a nod to the past. Mr. Dufour calls it "neo-retro."

"A return to the age of elegance is long overdue in our industry," says Philippe Leopold-Metzger, the chief executive of Piaget, which brought out a new automatic ultra slim Altiplano.

This watch is only 5.25mm thick—very slight for a self-winding watch. Automatic, or self-winding watches, which use the movements of the wearer to wind automatically, contain more parts than manual-winding watches, and are therefore generally thicker.

Another brand harking back to its roots is Girard-Perregaux, which launched two updated versions of its slim 1966 model. It has reworked these limited-edition models (the "Full Calendar" and the "Small Second") in palladium—a metal that is more resistant than gold and doesn't tarnish. Creative director Yvan Ketterer also believes there is an element of nostalgia to this slim revival: "When you have a crisis, people tend to go back to their roots. They look for something true and classic—the values of the past."

Slim watches are perfect for those who want something a little more streamlined for evening wear. Christian Knoop, creative director of IWC, says: "Watches had become very visual and obvious statements, but now men are looking for calmer watches that can fit under the cuff."

Slimness refers to the height of watch rather than its diameter. Everyone has their own definition of what constitutes a "slim watch," but a rough rule of thumb is less than 2mm thick for a manual-winding movement, and less than 2.5mm thick for a self-winding movement, with an overall case height of 6mm or less. Many watchmakers feel that this is just about as thin as they will go.

"What is important is finding the right balance between aesthetics and technicality," says Mr. Dufour. "If you try to go too slim, you lose reliability." Mr. Knoop adds that while it is technically possible to go thinner, size is necessary for accuracy and sturdiness.

Vacheron Constantin has been reviving its back catalogue of slim watches and created the Historiques Ultra-Fine 1955, based on a watch it brought out that year. The design is very similar to the original, but the modern version is waterproof. It houses a 1.64-mm-thick movement in 18-carat gold, which is roughly the size of a Swiss 20-cent piece. The company claims this is the thinnest manual-wound movement in existence today.

Vacheron Constantin has also added the Historique Ultra-Thin 1968 to the collection, which is inspired by a square model created in 1968. The movement is thicker as it is self-winding, but is still sleek at 2.45mm.

One of the thinnest tourbillons to be launched this year was Richard Mille's rectangular RM 017, which uses carbon nanofiber to make the watch lighter.

Mr. Mille says: "There was a crisis for two years in watchmaking [because of the recession]. Watchmakers thought: 'Let's give a proposal to the market that is different. We have been doing thick watches, so why not do slim watches now?'"

He adds that consumers have also become more discerning. "Fifteen years ago people didn't give a damn about thickness, they were more interested in new functions and devices," Mr. Mille says. "Now people want something more sophisticated."

—Ms. Sissons is a writer based in London. She can be reached at reports@wsj.com.

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